Sep 12, 2009

Daddy-in-Chief

President Obama with his daughters and their friends. Photo from Huff Post.

It's back to school season in the US and President Barack Obama had decided to address young Americans from kindergarten to 12th grade. His speech was great in all it's simplicity. He was speaking to kids in a language they could understand, but with no trace of condescension whatsoever. I loved it. Here's a snippet that captures his message for all kids heading back to school:

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

Student Ariana Steele says the message connected with her: "When you see someone of such power saying what your parents say or your teachers have said, like all your life, it really makes it more powerful to you and it really makes you want to try more" says the fifteen-year-old.

If you end up reading the full speech here, tell me why some rabid Republicans have banned their children from hearing this speech? Some of them say it is Obama's way of indoctrinating young Americans to his socialist ideas. They have got to be kidding.